*NEW* Safeguarding: Now and the future

In this webinar, Dr Vicki Walker and Michelle Dougan from Barnardo’s take a look at how safeguarding has changed in recent times and discuss how paediatricians can best support children and young people.

Speakers

  • Dr Vicki Walker
  • Michelle Dougan

Date of Recording

January 19, 2026

Available Until

January 18, 2027

Useful links and resources

Logo for the charity Barnardo's

Barnardo’s purpose is to transform the lives of the UK’s most vulnerable children through essential services, campaigning and research. Ever since Barnardo’s was founded by Dr Thomas Barnardo over 150 years ago, the charity has worked to realise his dream of a world where no child is turned away. We’re here to help children and young people feel safer, happier, healthier and more hopeful. When you change a childhood, you change a life.

Safeguarding in the digital world (Level 3) – online: Monday 9 March 

Delve into both the potential benefits and harms of the online world for children and young people and how you can best support them to use this environment well.

Book your place

Children, violence and safeguarding (Level 3) – online: Monday 8 June

Understand more about the impact of violence on children and young people and how to address associated safeguarding issues.

Register today

Intercollegiate document (2025) Safeguarding children and young people & children and young people in care: Competencies for health care staff

Trauma-informed practice – NHS Safeguarding

Ofcom (2024) Online Nation

Ofcom – Protection of Children codes

Recognition, prevention and management of ‘digital harm’ (Joustra, Quinn and Walker, 2024)

RCPCH Grand Round: Kids and screens: what’s all the fuss? | Dr Louise Milne & Dr Kelly Brown

CEOP [Child Exploitation and Online Protection] Education

Internet Matters

International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (2024) The Incel Culture 

RCPCH – Screen time and online harms: resources for members

A parent’s guide to teen slang

Safeguarding (Level 3) – online

To support paediatricians to meet their Level 3 competencies as outlined by the Intercollegiate document, the RCPCH offers various courses focusing on key and emerging themes in safeguarding and child protection.

 

Post-webinar feedback

Continued Professional Development (CPD)

We do not issue CPD certificates for webinars or podcasts, as we are unable to verify participation.

However, you are still able to record as a CPD activity as you normally would, detailing what you have learned and how the learning will benefit your practice.

When recording the activity, delegates should focus on the reflection and detail the following:

  • What did you learn?
  • What effect has/will the learning had/have on your current practice?
  • What further learning or action, if any, is needed as a result of the original learning activity?

If you have any questions, please contact the CPD team

If you use the RCPCH CPD Diary, you can click here to visit the diary and record your learning: Log your learning on the RCPCH CPD Diary

Speakers

  • Photo of Dr Vicki Walker

    Dr Vicki Walker

    RCPCH Assistant Officer for Child Protection and Consultant Paediatrician

    Dr Vicki Walker is a Consultant Paediatrician in Mansfield and the Designated Doctor for Looked After Children in Nottinghamshire. She was appointed to the RCPCH Child Protection Standing Committee in February 2019 working with the College to support paediatricians, progress training and improve health outcomes for Looked After Children, with an interest in education and migrant health. She has worked as a Named Doctor for safeguarding and is the clinical editor for the eLfH level three Safeguarding children and young people eLearning. She was appointed as the RCPCH Assistant Officer for Child Protection (Education) in April 2022.

  • Picture of Michelle Dougan

    Michelle Dougan

    Assistant Director Corporate Safeguarding and Compliance at Barnardo’s

    Michelle Dougan is a leader with over 38 years' experience of working in all areas of Safeguarding for C&YP & Vulnerable Adults plus Early Childhood Education. Michelle has been with Barnardo’s for 18 years in a number of roles across Children’s Services before transitioning to the Corporate Safeguarding and Compliance team 8 years ago. Having responsibility for receiving/responding to all serious Safeguarding Incident escalations, Service User deaths & Allegations against Adults alongside all aspects of Corporate Safeguarding including all case work for Non-Recent Abuse and leading safeguarding/whistleblowing investigations. Also, strategic oversight for Barnardo's Registration for all of our regulated services across the UK.

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